


Insomnia

by nicoleiacross



Series: Fanfic Mash-Up: AUs/Tropes [FFXV Edition] [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: 5 Times, 5+1 Things, Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV, Friends to Lovers, Gen, M/M, Slow Burn, brotherhood era
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-06
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-07-07 15:52:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15911445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nicoleiacross/pseuds/nicoleiacross
Summary: Ignis has been developing a bit of an issue sleeping. Gladio takes it on himself as best friend to help how he can.Alternate working title: 5 Times: Gladio tried to confess and failed because Iggy and sleep are not friends.{Trope Mash-Up Round 1: Poorly Timed Confessions + Sleep Intimacy(?)}





	1. Chapter 1

Gladio is just barely awake when Ignis finally drags in. A bleary glance at his phone and it flashes 2:28 at him, eliciting a short groan as he finally closes the book he was using to try staying awake.

"Titan's ass, Specs, where the _hell_ have you been?"

Ignis mumbles out an incoherent reply, already crawling onto the couch and collapsing across Gladio's chest without any real warning. Gladio's been through this enough times in the past few weeks to not be surprised anymore and just lets an arm fall across the other man's back, rubbing a gentle pattern beneath his shoulder blades until the mumbling levels out into a short, exhausted sigh.

"I meant to text you." The reply is a touch slurred, drowning in a yawn and the heavy insomnia that's been hitting all new highs lately. Whatever's causing it, Ignis isn't keen on sharing, even when his desperate state lets him talk about everything else. "I thought _for certain_ … today was so long I was absolutely convinced I would be able to sleep in my own bed." 

A stretch of silence almost convinces Gladio that his friend's nodded off; almost convinces him it's okay for _him_ to finally nod off. But, Ignis looks up, just before he can, eyes uncharacteristically unfocused and clearly processing things a few notches slower than he usually does.

"What on Eos are you still doing awake? I've asked you not to stay up on my account, I've a key to get in on my own—"

"If you hadn't shown up or texted by three, I was going to bed." Gladio shrugs one shoulder to dismiss the subject. It's not quite the _truth_ , but he isn't lying, either. There's no way in hell he'd have been able to stay up much longer. He offers a tiny grin, trying to distract Ignis from the fact he had stayed up. "Someone's gotta worry about you. Think you can walk a few more feet to the bedroom or are we camping out again?"

Another stretch of silence, another stretch of wheels slowly turning and catching up, and Ignis manages a nod. "I'm not particularly fond of your couch. No offense."

Gladio snorts, but doesn't bother with a verbal response, instead working himself out from under Ignis so he can stand and help the younger man to his feet. Gladio manages to steady himself pretty quickly once he's upright; but, the second Ignis stands, he nearly falls back over and ends up gripping Gladio's arms a lot tighter than should be possible for someone that looks as dead tired as he does. Gladio feels a frown trying to take over, but he doesn't draw any attention to it and just waits it out. The grip doesn't necessarily hurt so much as it's surprising; and, slowly, the grip fades and Ignis lets out a steady breath with a single nod.

"Thank you. I believe I can manage."

"Or, you could just let me help you." Gladio points out, trying to hide the worry beneath a grin when he wraps one arm around Ignis' waist to keep him steady. "No one else here, Specs. Ain't got anything to prove."

Not that Ignis really _ever_ has anything to prove, but it's kind of always there. Always at the back of their minds—too young, the council had argued, as though Gladio being a year older and designated shield _wasn't_ too young. Ignis has known just as long—sword and shield. Duty bound to the Chosen King's side, though they've both long come to terms with their roles beyond duty. Weird though it could be, they were… something that could be called friends. Caretakers, in many cases, but friends when it was necessary for a particular situation. Regis wanted Noctis to have a normal childhood—as normal as a prince could have—and all that seems to mean, is sometimes Ignis and Gladio are less adviser and trainer and more instigator and enabler. Few and far between though the times may be, they do what they can and the addition of the boy from school—Prompto? Gladio still hasn't met him, but Ignis speaks well enough of him—seems to be a pretty healthy add-in to the routine.

Too young. All of them are 'too young' but Ignis is the only one that ever seemed to take it to heart. Whatever he thinks he has to prove, it's lead to a lot of nights like this, especially since Noctis got his own apartment. Some vain sense of freedom and independence before he's bound to the throne and whatever else the Astrals have planned for him. Freedom for Noctis, however, means a whole new load of responsibilities between the two of them. Ignis usually takes the meetings—sitting in for Regis and Noctis, both, as the day calls for it. Whatever King Regis is handling away from the meetings seems to be confidential, given that Gladio rarely sees his own father those days and isn't given much to go on when he finally turns up days, sometimes weeks, later.

Neither of them question it. They just find ways to adapt and cope to the best of their abilities. In this case… coping is a whole lot of Ignis crashing at Amicitia Manor. 

Gladio isn't positive how _long_ it's been going on, but he knows it's been at least a few months. Not the Ignis coming over part; but, the way Ignis' focus will start to fade towards the end of the day, the way he's steadily becoming more and more reliant on coffee to stay awake or even just wake up in the mornings, when he's generally as easy a riser as Gladio is. Concerning is an understatement, but all attempts to question him on the matter have lead to curt answers and cold shoulders.Probably years, but it only recently got bad enough to be noticeable. Gladio's pretty sure his dad's _probably_ said something to Ignis' parents or at least his uncle by now; and, if he hasn't, it won't be long before he does.

With some effort, Gladio manages to shake the thoughts off in time to realise they're at the stairs and it takes a lot longer and a much more conscious effort to get up the stairs than he'd normally be okay with, especially for how tired he is and how much he really just wants to throw himself on his bed and not leave. For Ignis' sake, he minds his pace, minds their steps, and—pretty specifically—minds _him_ for any sign it's safer to just stay downstairs. A quarter of the way up, he's fine; halfway up, he's a bit unsteady but managing; and, at the top landing, they both have to stop, Ignis' grip terrifyingly tight once more and his breathing just that little bit off rhythm. This time, only one hand grips Gladio's arm, the other still curled tight around the banister before he finally lets go and nearly collapses his entire weight against Gladio's side.

"You need a guest room on the ground floor." He grumbles out, somewhere between annoyed and too tired to care. Gladio just offers a tiny smile, moving to adjust the arm around Ignis' waist and shift his weight a bit more upright to resume helping him down the hall.

"I'll see what we can do."

The second—almost quite literally, the very _second_ —they're in Gladio's room, Ignis works his way free, stumbles a short distance, and allows himself to just collapse on Gladio's bed, immediately pulling all the available pillows in his immediate range into his arms and curling into a ball. He doesn't bother with his clothes or trying to get under the blankets and Gladio's more than a little concerned _this_ is getting as normal as everything else has been lately.

"Specs. Clothes?" A muffled grumble. "Right. I'm going to sit you up." More grumbling and Gladio shakes his head, trying to work the pillows free. "I'm not dealing with you in the morning if you sleep in your clothes."

"Excuse you, I am _never_ one that is dealt with—!"

Gladio laughs and takes the opportunity of affronted arguing to pull Ignis back into a seated position, quickly starting on the buttons of his shirt—just the top three—to yank off before Ignis can really register much of anything.

"You _say_ that, but you were pissy as Hell last week when this happened. I'll go hang your shirt up and find you something to sleep in. I trust you'll be out of your slacks by then?" Gladio's already walking to his closet, ignoring the indignant sputters that almost say Ignis is starting to wake up. A few seconds into digging for a pair of sweats and he finally hears the bed make a soft squeak of protest that announces movement and a small grin crosses his face. When he gets back to his bed, the slacks are laid out on the end, pristine, socks layered on top of them, and Ignis _immediately_ takes the offered sweater. He doesn't bother for the pants and instead falls right back onto the bed, back into the gathered hoard of pillows, and curls back up. This time, at the very least, he's under the blankets and Gladio's honestly expecting him to be asleep before he gets in bed himself.

To say it's surprising that Ignis immediately turns onto his side when Gladio lies down—ample room between them, mindful of Ignis' personal space—is an understatement and Gladio just blinks at him, as best he can, in the dark room. It's hard to make out much of anything, even with his eyes adjusted, but Ignis _has_ to be exhausted, how the Hell is he still awake? Had the few extra seconds to change _really_ been enough to wake him up?

"Iggy—?"

"You're going to fall off the bed." Matter-of-fact words are belied in the slur of sleepiness trying to take over and he can just _imagine_ the pointed look on Ignis' face. "We literally fell asleep on top of one another another two nights ago, you can't expect me to believe this is an issue of personal space."

That is… mildly unexpected, but also—

"Okay, excuse you, _you_ fell asleep on _me_. I just… thought you were too tired to even notice." Okay, so _maybe_ Gladio overplays the personal space sometimes. But it was easier than thinking of how _comfortable_ it was with Ignis close as they could be. "But… yeah, okay, if you don't mind."

He's pretty sure he knows exactly what expression crosses his friend's face and bites down the urge to laugh only by will and with the help of a new wave of sleep trying to hit him. A bit of shifting and he's not on the edge of his mattress anymore—still a bit of room between them, but not as much. Close enough he feels when Ignis shifts, close enough that a few seconds later, he feels Ignis using his arm as an extra pillow and makes a short noise of inquiry. 

"I've gotten used to being nearby." Is the offered response. Slurred in sleep, still factual, and Gladio finally lets himself smile.

"Yeah. Me, too. Hey, Specs—?"

The question dies on his lips when he feels a few rhythmic breaths—well. More that he feels the steady rise and fall of Ignis' shoulders. An interval he's gotten used to lately, that he's learned to attribute to his friend finally having fallen asleep, and he feels the smile fall a little. This isn't bad. Ignis needs the sleep and Gladio's well aware of that. Hell, _Gladio_ needs sleep, they probably have another long day ahead of them. And long days mean that he doesn't need to be focused on the weird comfortableness around his best friend.

Long days, for better or worse, mean he has the perfect excuse not to think about the fact he _might_ have a crush on said best friend. Just like long days mean he has the perfect excuse to be as close as humanly possible, as often as humanly possible, exactly like they are right now. Better, still, long days give them the excuse to wake up a lot closer—Ignis pressing closer as the night goes on and Gladio accommodating with his free arm lying across Ignis' waist in protective gesture that is just as easily more comfortable than trying to find a different way to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A surprise wake up, surprise visit, surprise nap. Gladio isn't usually one for this many surprises but they're pretty good.

Gladio initially wakes up to movement—pretty specifically, movement he recognises as Ignis trying to find his glasses at the same time he's combating morning drowsiness. It's a slow process, one that lets him wake up on his own, comfortably, just before he picks up on running outside of his room and everything in him jump starts. Not quick enough to warn Ignis but quick enough he manages to get the arm under Ignis free, turn onto his back, and catch his sister before she dive bombs _both_ of them. He still grunts under the sudden extra weight and only manages to hold her up for a short second before letting her drop, much safer than if she'd succeeded her attack on the bed, between him and Ignis. He grumbles a short, half-hearted note of annoyance and lets one arm fall across his eyes, trying to slow his pulse down and finish waking up _without_ the rush of adrenaline. Iris just starts laughing, one of her arm across his chest and he can only assume the other arm is over Ignis, and he can feel her legs swinging at the end of the bed before she's trying to find a way to get up to sit on her knees.

"G'morning, Gladdy! Mornin', Iggy!"

"And to you, Iris." 

Gladio doesn't need to look to see the amiable smile. Thank the Six this has gotten so normal, because the first time Ignis stayed the night and they passed out in the living room, he'd nearly had a heart attack when Iris ran downstairs and found them. Which… admittedly, might have kind of made Gladio a bit more uncertain about what constitutes acceptable personal space. Personal space that doesn't seem to really exist any more—

He ends up choking on a breath and wheezing, thoughts ungracefully disrupted, when he feels a sharp jab against his stomach and finally moves his arm from over his eyes to throw his sister a glare. Iris meets it evenly, her cheeks puffed up impatiently when she repeats, "Good _morning_ ," a lot more pointedly than initially. Gladio glares a moment longer before pulling her back down onto the bed, dramatically turning over so she's mostly squished into the bed. He still leaves her enough room to move and breathe, propped up on his elbows and watches Ignis finally moving to start his day.

"So. Sleep okay, Specs?"

"Quite. Thank you." Back turned to the bed, Ignis works to tug the sweater off after he finds his glasses. Modesty and maybe a small kick of 'big brother instinct' makes Gladio keep Iris pinned down until Ignis at _least_ pulls his slacks back on from the night before. That seems to be the same train of thought, as he soon turns on Gladio, one brow raised and making an idle gesture for him to let Iris go. "Gladio. She's twelve. Let her up."

"Only because you're vouchin' for her." Gladio rolls back onto his back, none too surprised when it earns him another jab. At least he was expecting it this time. Even so, he puts his arm back over his eyes, making a wave towards Ignis. "Think you owe Specs a word of thanks, Iris. Don't you?"

"Iggy, are you staying for breakfast?"

He's even less surprised that his sister ignores him; but, he still nearly chokes a second time and finally sits up with a pointed, stern scowl. 

"Iris!"

She blinks at him, either uncertain what she did wrong or she really doesn't care that it's rude to assume Ignis is staying and doesn't already have plans. Ignis clears his throat to gather their attention and tilts his head back towards the door. "Well, given that you've come to wake us up, quite later than would normally be acceptable, I suppose your father never returned home?" 

His smile turns a touch sympathetic and Gladio sighs when Iris' expression falls the smallest fraction with her nod. "Daddy's still at the Citadel. Dustin called and said he's okay, though."

"He is. There was a… small issue with our newest rotations." An idle wave that says he won't expound. Iris looks curious, but she lets it go; a look over her head and Gladio at least gets Ignis to nod, to at least agree to fill him in later. Instead of drawing further attention to the debatable news, his smile turns back on Iris. "Gladio and I are not expected for a long while, yet, if at all. At least, neither of us have been summoned, so… why don't we check on Noct, instead? We can have breakfast at his apartment. You haven't seen him since the new school term started, if I'm not mistaken?"

Immediately Iris sits up straighter, bouncing a little on her knees when she turns back to Gladio. "Can we?"

As much intention as he has to tell her no—because he really shouldn't be encouraging the fostered puppy crush, just as much as he and Ignis could definitely find other ways to get a head start on their days—the second Gladio meets her eye, he ends up giving an idle nod. 

"Yeah. Give us like fifteen minutes to get ready and we'll go crash Noct's place."

The delighted squeal lingers in the room, even after Iris runs back down the hall to her own room and Gladio watches Ignis go to close the door after her, finally stretching his arms above his head to try working the sleep out of his body.

"Is that really a _good_ idea, Specs?"

"Perhaps not," Ignis admits, a quiet sigh escaping when he offers a shrug and heads towards the closet to find his shirt. "I simply needed her distracted for a moment and that seemed the kindest way to do so. I don't suspect we'll be seeing your father or King Regis in any capacity for quite a few days and we've been tasked to keep Noct distracted. Keeping Iris distracted, by proxy, would be the most efficient course of action… I should have warned you first, I apologise. I meant to, yesterday, but—"

Gladio frowns, making a waving motion—an apology as much as emphasis—when he cuts Ignis off. "Hold on, _what_ about dad? Why do they want Noct distracted?" He should probably be more worried about the fact these disappearances are becoming so commonplace. But if it has anything to do with the kind of sudden fluctuations in Glaive numbers, he kind of understands.

A stretch of silence before Ignis finally releases a long, slow breath and shakes his head. "They haven't told me much, either. I was hoping you might have an idea, but… if I _had_ to guess, it likely has to do with the increase in the Kingsglaive and Crownsguard alike."

So, neither of them know. If the Crownsguard is involved, his father's absence makes sense. There are a lot of new people around that Gladio doesn't recognise… and, if the Glaives are involved….

It takes an effort to shake the feeling off. Yeah, they were a weird bunch; but, most of them were okay. The ones Gladio's met, anyways, are okay. No worse than anyone else he's ever met and some of them are _better_ than a lot of people he's run across. 

It isn't until Ignis finally gives him a gentle push, tugging at the blankets to show he's trying to make the bed, that Gladio finally snaps out of his thoughts and realises he should _probably_ be getting ready. Ignis raises a brow at him, lips quirked in a tiny smile that reaches his eyes. 

"I'm sure if it were something serious, they would fill us in. For now, we've been given a very specific task. One that requires you to leave the bed. Hurry up, you won't be able to stop Iris from running out of the house once the fifteen minutes is up and you've already wasted five. Up."

Even with Ignis prodding him along, Gladio takes his time getting ready. He can worry about a shower _when_ they get to Noctis' place if there are plans to go out; but, knowing Ignis, they'll probably be staying at the apartment. Breakfast was definitely going to be a stay-in ordeal and depending on how long it's been since Ignis actually went to check in on the prince, there's a good chance most of the day is going to be spent cleaning. And if _that_ happens, Gladio can take a shower _after_. Still, he throws a quick bag together—street clothes that are a _little_ more pubic-appropriate than his training sweats—on the off chance they do go out anywhere else. The task serves it's secondary purpose, too, when Ignis mentions he should probably stop by his own house to get a change of clothes. Which… as soon as he says it, Gladio finally realises Ignis was driving. 

He _knew_ Ignis was driving but now he's actually _thinking_ about it and the fact that his best friend had _barely_ been able to walk when he dragged in that morning.

Great. Now Gladio's going to be stuck worrying about whether or not Ignis is physically capable of driving on top of everything else. Maybe he can use Noctis to help break the ice and finally get an answer.

Thankfully, Ignis is much more awake and the drive to his place and then Noctis' is remarkably uneventful, save a small plug of traffic as they get into the city. Iris bounces in the front seat, glued to the window and humming along to the radio. Gladio and Ignis don't say anything to one another, content to the background noise around them.

Until they get to the apartment, at any rate. 

Honestly, Gladio was expecting to walk into something short of a natural disaster but the apartment is actually pretty clean, all things considered. Noctis isn't up; but, it's clean. Ignis looks surprised for a short moment, as well, before he manages to rein it in and clears his throat, carefully directing Iris towards the kitchen area. "Iris, would you go see what all Noct has that would qualify for breakfast? I might need to send you two out."

"Got it! _Anything_ breakfast stuff or specific breakfast stuff?" Even as she asks, Iris is already bounding down the short hall and around the corner, soles of her house slippers making soft taps as she does. Gladio cracks a small smile; one that grows when he notices Ignis smiling, too, when he calls after her.

"I'll let you decide." He turns the look up to Gladio next. "Would you rather take the easier job and go help her?"

Gladio snorts a short note of amusement at that. "Challenge accepted. Let's get him up. Late enough, as is."

He follows Ignis back towards the bedroom, dropping their bags in the living area when they pass it, and finally lets out the held in sigh when Ignis pushes the bedroom door open. There's the disaster he was looking for. The rest of the apartment looks relatively clean; but, the bedroom looks like Noctis has been living out of it for weeks—probably since school started, honestly. His class books and notebooks are scattered across his desk in something that is probably organised chaos; the rest of his room is piles of clothes and take-out that Gladio had expected to be in every room; and, in a lump in the middle of the bed, he can only assume is the person in question. He gives Ignis a quick glance tilting his head towards the bed in an indicating gesture.

"So… how about _I_ get Noct and you start on... whatever natural disaster hit his room?"

Before Ignis answers—whether to agree or not, Gladio isn't really sure—an annoyed grumble comes from the bed.

"Go away, it's my day off, I'm staying in bed."

"Yeah, that's not happening." Ignis is already heading towards the bed and Gladio's quick at his heel, taking the opposite side of the bed and trying to be mindful not to step on anything. When Ignis pulls the blankets away, Gladio hooks an arm around Noctis' torso, hauling him upright with some effort as he immediately gives small thrashes, clearly trying to get back into bed or at least get his blankets back. "Think real careful 'bout what you're doin' Noct. You wanna deal with _me_ … or Iggy?"

Thankfully, Noctis seems to be at least somewhat awake enough to process the words and, after a few long seconds, finally groans and goes mostly limp in Gladio's hold, still grumbling out a string of half-asleep curses. 

"What do you two even want, it's the weekend. Dad already told me he's busy, so it's not home related." A bite of bitterness; neither of them draw attention to it, but it does explain _some_ of his mood, at least. It also explains how Noctis is even remotely awake. "If it's not home related, I get to sleep in before I have to cram for this stupid test. Who the _hell_ even—"

"Iggy, he doesn't have any milk or eggs, I want pancakes—mornin', Noct!"

Thankfully, Iris' interruption successfully cuts the rambling off and Noctis does his best to look back towards the entrance to his room, clearly confused. "Uh… morning—? What are you doing here?"

"If you'd given us a chance to explain, I'd have told you she was here." Ignis' tone deadpans and he sighs, making a gesture for Gladio to set the prince down, finally. "Your father isn't the only one busy and we thought it would be nice to get out of the house for a few hours. Now then... since you _are_ awake, you can escort Iris to the store for groceries."

That's definitely a plan; but, given the way Ignis is looking around the room… Gladio sighs and fishes through his pocket for his wallet, making a gesture for Iris to come take the stack of notes he pulls out. "I got a better idea. Why don't you two go out for breakfast and around town for a few hours? Iggy and I can get the apartment clean and we can figure out something big for dinner. That way _we_ can just do the grocery shopping and get the kitchen stocked proper."

Noctis scowls at him; but, it doesn't last long as he thinks it over and gives a slow nod. "That… yeah, that sounds kind of great actually—"

"You should call Prom and tell him to come hang out with us!" Iris chirps, starting to bounce from one foot to the other, not seeming to care that she isn't getting homemade breakfast anymore. She counts through the money before sliding it into her small moogle purse and continuing, "The arcade has new games coming out you two wanted to check out, right? He's gonna be mad if you go without him and _I_ wanna see the new dance levels!"

Normally, Gladio might be impressed by how quickly his sister manages to get Noctis to smile; but, for the time, all he can really focus on is the fact _Iris_ has apparently met Prompto and he still hasn't.

"When the Hell did you meet Prompto?"

"When Noct picked me up at school a few days ago." His sister laughs and bounds out of the room. "I'll go make a list of what Noct _does_ have in the kitchen. Noct, hurry up and get ready! And don't forget to text Prom!"

As mad as Gladio _kind of_ wants to be about this, a quick glance at Ignis shows he was unaware of the information as well.

"Why on Eos were you picking Iris up? Why didn't either of you just call me?"

"It was that day you two were stuck at home for Crownsguard stuff." Noctis shrugs, rummaging through his closet for something clean before he starts towards the bathroom for what should _hopefully_ be a quick shower and not one of his hour long preening sessions trying to style his hair. "I hung out at Gladio's place until he got home and before that we went around the shopping center Monica and Prom tagged along."

Ignis is quiet until the shower starts running and even after. Gladio finally gives him a look, making a questioning noise when he moves to open one of the curtains to let at least _some_ natural light in the room. "S'wrong? Thought you said this kid was okay or whatever?"

"What—oh. Yes, Prompto wasn't what I was worried about. I… didn't even realise you were still picking Iris up from school?"

"Not _every_ day. She was probably just doing what you are—trying to distract Noct. It's kind of rare for _both_ of us to be stuck at the Citadel. Monica picks her up when I can't and," Gladio offers a shrug, "kinda makes sense now that I'm thinking about it. If we were going through our physicals for the Crownsguard, no one was watchin' Noct. Iris callin' him means he's still got an Amicitia and a guard with him. Just in case."

He doesn't have to like it. But, Iris is still an Amicitia and she takes just as much pride in her name as he does. She can hold her own in a fight, but he _still_ doesn't have to like it. At the very least, he is kind of proud of her for the initiative.

Ignis seems to accept the answer as well and just gives a slow nod before he disappears out of the room when Iris calls for him from the kitchen. Gladio, in that time, starts picking up around the room, trying to get even a little bit of a head start before Ignis goes full-on room service. The real surprise is when Noctis comes out of the bathroom after possibly the shortest shower Gladio's ever timed him for, running a towel over his head as he does. Immediately, he throws Gladio a scowl.

"Tell me you aren't picking up Iggy's habits."

"It's not a habit to keep a clean room, Noct." Gladio rolls his eyes. "But, I'm not. I'm just tryin' to help Specs—"

That, for whatever reason, immediately makes Noctis' expression go from mild annoyance to barely concealed worry. A blank expression at first before his brows furrow—a rather clear attempt to appear nonchalant—and he chews on his lip for a short second before he looks towards the door like he's expecting… something.

When nothing happens for a few seconds he finally looks back at Gladio. "Is Specs okay? He's… been kinda weird lately."

So it's not just Gladio that's noticed. He's not surprised Noctis noticed; but, it says a lot that Noctis doesn't know what's wrong, either, and Gladio sighs, shaking his head.

"He's fine, Noct. He's just… really tired. He hasn't been sleepin' good."

_That_ makes the worry more prominent, like he's given up on trying to shrug it off, and his head cocks to one side in what could almost be confusion. 

"Dad said—"

"—Noct, are you done, Iris is—oh. Wonderful, you are out of the shower." Noctis jumps when Ignis suddenly rejoins them. If the adviser notices, he doesn't say anything and merely gestures over his shoulder. "Iris is getting impatient. She's been up far longer than any of us, I do not believe she's exaggerating her hunger. Stay together and do _not_ wander out of the city." He goes quiet for a moment, brows furrowed, "Perhaps we should call someone—"

"Oh my gods, Specs. We're just going to get breakfast and then hang at the arcade. But if it makes you feel better we can stop by and grab one of the Glaives on the way." Noctis rolls his eyes, shaking off whatever was bothering him before as he starts going through his phone. "Think Nyx has the morning off... if we can't find anyone I'll text Dustin. Happy?"

"Quite. Keep in touch, please."

No verbal confirmation; but, Noctis still offers an affirmative wave just before Iris grabs his arm and starts dragging him towards the front door. 

Gladio waits until he hears the door close, waits a few minutes longer to make sure they don't come back because they "forgot" something; the entire time he watches Ignis starting to move around the room, starting to collect trash and organise piles of things that aren't trash that need to be sorted through. 

He looks alright. A little pale, but it's still early in the day and they were up late, so that's to be expected. He hasn't had coffee yet and that would easily attribute to the slightly drowsy manner he displays, especially the way he sways when he kneels or leans over. He rubs his eyes every few minutes but that could just as easily be from disturbed dust as tiredness… whichever it is, the logical thing to do is to help him. The sooner they're done cleaning, the sooner Ignis can sit down and _maybe_ they can finally talk about… whatever this is.

Except, as they're cleaning, Gladio's mind wanders back to what Noctis was trying to say. He tries to figure it out on his own as they move on from the bedroom to the rest of the apartment. Ignis takes the kitchen and guest room; Gladio moves around the dining room and living area. 

It wouldn't surprise him if Regis knew something about all of this. Absent though he may have been, he was observant when he was around and literally had eyes and ears everywhere. If Ignis were distracted around the Citadel, word would definitely get back to Regis and Regis would, logically, ask Noctis first—

No. That's not quite right.

Gladio frowns as he thinks on it a bit more. If Regis suspected something were wrong… he wouldn't trouble Noctis with it because _they_ wouldn't trouble Noctis with anything personal. If Regis thought something was wrong he would… ask Clarus. Or Cor. Maybe Gladio… at least, he likes to think he would be considered, but...

A quick glance over his shoulder and he realises that Ignis joined him at some point and a short sigh escapes. Even if Regis did ask him… Gladio doesn’t have an answer.

"Hey, Specs?"

Apparently his mouth his working a lot faster than his brain or the distracted thoughts meant a line of communication was severed because Gladio immediately flinches when he realises he's speaking and again when Ignis answers with a curious hum to acknowledge he's being spoken to. Well… shit. Gladio wanted to talk about this when they weren't distracted but… hell, maybe that's how he gets Ignis to talk.

"You good?"

Ignis goes still for a short second before turn from where he's rearranging the bookcase, one brow arched and expression clearly waiting for some sort of elaboration. Gladio's not even sure what he's asking but… he tries.

"Just… you know… good? You were pretty damn beat this mornin'—lately. Not just this morning. I know you haven't been sleeping all that great."

"I'm… fine, thank you." Curiosity takes over the expression before Ignis turns back to his task. "I fail to see what this has to do with anything we're doing, though."

"Nothing. Not really. … Noct asked if you were okay."

That might not have been the best thing to say because Ignis _immediately_ goes rigid and Gladio bites hard on the inside of his cheek, bracing for some sort of retaliation. What feels like forever, though, is only a few seconds before Ignis relaxes with a long, slow, exhale and he shakes his head.

"I'm fine, Gladio. Is it a crime to be tired?"

" _Technically_ … no, I guess not. But… Specs, you could barely walk this morning and you were _driving_. It's… I didn't really think about it much before but that could've ended pretty damn bad, don't you think?"

This time, instead of tensing up, Ignis simply falls into the couch, turning his attention to Gladio as he crosses his arms. Honestly, Gladio's a little surprised he didn't stay standing for this. The pose is much more intimidating when he's standing—one that Gladio's been on the receiving end more times than he cares to admit to—but… the longer he looks, the more obvious it becomes. The fact that Ignis is practically melting into the couch, despite all attempts to appear none too amused by the situation. The fact he once again looks _exhausted_ even though they've only been awake for a few hours and not even doing anything strenuous. Nothing near as demanding as what they're put through at the Citadel—

Oh.

Gladio blinks a few times as the logic catches up with him and tilts his head a little. They're both at the Citadel practically all day through the week. Well before sunrise, hours after sundown, and they're lucky as Hell when they get a day they _don't_ have to report in. Gladio usually still turns up to run small errands for his dad and Ignis… Gladio isn't too sure what he does on their rare off days. Check on Noctis? Review the week? Did Ignis ever _actually_ take a break?

Well… he was taking one now, one way or another, Gladio decides, as he crosses the short distance to the couch and falls against one of the arms, back pressed comfortable into the crook between the back of the couch and the arm and makes a short beckoning gesture at Ignis.

The younger raises a brow at him, clearly still mildly annoyed and more than a little confused. Gladio just repeats the gesture, earning a long, exasperated sigh, as Ignis finally moves the short distance between them.

"If this isn't you explaining yourself or apologising—"

He cuts off with a short, startled swear when Gladio hooks an arm around him, pulls him so they're flush against one another, and offers a small grin.

"Sorry for the pull. But, you're taking a break. _We_ are taking a much earned extra nap. Noct had the right idea sleepin' in. But we already kicked him out, so… we're going to get that extra sleep in for him."

"I—what—Gladio, _no_ , we have other things we need to do—"

"Apartment's clean. Small break. Short nap. Then we can do…whatever else is on your list."

"Groceries? Lunch and dinner preparation? Being on call in case something happens, my phone is in Noct's room—"

"I have mine." As a point, Gladio reaches between them, fishing the device from the pouch of his hoodie with only a passing apology when he kind of pushes the phone against Ignis' ribs trying to pull it free. "I'll text Iris and let her know to send me the updates. You need the break, Specs."

" _Gladio_ —"

"Ignis." That gets him to snap his mouth shut immediately. Gladio might feel a little bad but he meets the look evenly. Shock is quickly leveling back out to annoyance, so he picks up quickly, "You're going to run yourself ragged. And then what? _Noct_ is asking if you're okay. The _king_ knows somethin' about it. I don't know _what_ and if you don't want to tell me that's… well, no, it's not fine. But right now? It's fine. Two hours, tops. Just… try to get a little more rest?"

"It's the middle of the day, have you lost your mind?"

No denial. A small touch of fear lights up his expression for the briefest moment before he covers it once more with thin hostility. Gladio lets it go.

"Try. If you're still awake in thirty minutes, I'll let you up."

To reinforce the point, he wraps his arm that little bit tighter around Ignis. It earns him another solid glare before Ignis finally lets out a long, slow breath and puts his head down.

"Thirty minutes. And then I will give _you_ a thirty second head start."

Gladio grins; he should probably be a lot more worried about that threat, but he can already hear the sleep starting to lace into Ignis' voice. 

"Thanks, Specs."

It doesn't even take thirty seconds for Ignis to fall asleep. The tension starts to leave his body, at least enough that his fingers start to uncurl from the fist they'd been clenched into and instead curl gently into Gladio's sweater. He's not completely relaxed; but, Gladio recognises the steady, rhythmic rise and fall of his shoulders and carefully rearranges them so they're lying down. 

He's rather genuinely surprised when the movement doesn't wake Ignis or even really stir him. It earns a short, displeased grumble; but, just as quickly, Ignis adjusts to their new position and presses closer, nestled contently just beneath Gladio's chin. Ever still careful, Gladio gives his glasses a gentle tug, managing to get them off without waking Ignis or having them dig any further into his shoulder. It takes an effort to set them on the end table behind him; but, he manages and manages to send a one-handed text to Noctis and Iris to let them know to send the updates to Gladio's phone and to only call _if_ there's an emergency. He sends a little extra to Noctis, explaining exactly what's going on, as best he can in as few words he can.

A few seconds later he gets a reply—Noctis assuring him they'll be fine and he'll keep Iris busy for the day. They can get lunch somewhere and they're going to have dinner at Gladio's house with Jared. Noctis has a room at the manor and he's already trying to talk Prompto into staying the night so they can keep Iris company as long as they need to.

Gladio feels a small smile forming as he sends an affirmative. He should probably be a bit more worried about some kid he's never met staying his house; but, Ignis has vouched for Prompto, Noctis trusts him, and Iris likes him. They'll be fine. And… he's more than a little grateful for the offer. It means he can let Ignis sleep as long as possible… even if he _is_ probably going to be more than a little irate when he wakes up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you thought I could go more than one chapter without even soft angst... you were like me and lied to yourself jpsdlf *facepalm*
> 
> As always, thank you for reading ♥ if you spot any typos please let me know!   
> ♥  
> Not accepting C&C, this is written purely for me to remind myself writing doesn't have to feel icky.

**Author's Note:**

> I still haven't quite figured out what Sleep Intimacy Trope is so I kinda took it in my own direction with sleepy confessions. This should be super short and finished in about a week [knock on wood]
> 
> If you spot any typos or weird structures please let me know ♥ not taking C&C otherwise, this is just fluff written for myself to try reminding myself that writing doesn't have to feel icky.  
> [ **06.09 update** I'M SO SORRY I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT TAG WAS???? don't be like me, kids, don't post sleepy;;;; ]


End file.
